Garden spacer



Dec. 8,1925. 1.564.721

I J. P. TALLON GARDEN SPACER Filed July 15. 19 25 Patented Dec. 8, 19 25 1:

JOHN P. TALLON, or PERRY Pom'r, MARYLAND.

GARDEN SPACER.

Application filed July 13, 1925. Serial lio.43,179.

To all whom it. may concern.

Be it known that I, JOHN P. TALLON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Perry Point, in the county of Cecil and State of Maryland,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garden Spacers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to garden spacers and is useful to landscapegardeners and others desiring ornamental effects, as well as to theperson having a small garden.

In laying out small gardens where a large number of plants have to beplaced, it is common to lay a series of parallel strings in onedirection, and another series of parallel strings crossing the others atan angle. Plants are then planted at the intersections of the strings.The designs are varied by varying the combinations of angles and thenumber of the strings. This system is very slow and necessitates a greatdeal of bending over and the making of many careful measurements.

In order to provide a means for making these careful measurementsunnecessary and to save time, labor and expense in laying out a garden,by means of a simple hand device, has been a primary object of my invention.

Other objects of my invention are to provide such a cheap hand implementwhich will have means for adjusting the interval at which the plants areto be spaced, the marking portions being readily adjustable relative toeach other and to the handle so that the manipulation of the implementmay be facilitated, and so constructed that the o ening made in theground will readily c ose when pressure is made on the earth adjacentthe opening.

Referring to the drawing wherein I have illustrated a preferredembodiment of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a front view slightly in perspective.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side view.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, the same reference characters refer to the same partsthroughout the several views.

In" order to properly manipulate my spacer, I have found that a straighthandle points 17 10 should be mounted midway of the length of the footboard or n'npression block support 11. The impression block support 11is provided with elongated slots 12;arranged lengthwise with the supportand in a plane with the axis of the handle 10. The handle 10 is securedmidway of the ends of the support, between the slots and in an opening1n the support as shown in Fig. 2. A'suitable fastening means as thebolt 13 is provided to hold the handle 10 and support 11 in positionrelative to each other.

Beneath the impression block support 11,

, are two impression blocks 14. These blocks are preferably cylindricaland have grooves 15 along their sides for a urpose to be described. Thebottom portion of each block is tapered as shown in all of the figures.The lower ends of the blocks 14 are flat to contact with a conicalmetallic point 17, the outer surface of which completes and forms acontinuation of the conical surface 16 already referred to.

The metallic point 17 is provided with a stem 18 which extends throughan opening extending axially in the impression block 14 and is longenough to extend through the slot 12. The upper end of the stem 18 isthreaded and is provided with a wing nut 19. Between the wing nut andthe block is placed a washer 20. I

On the support 11 adjacent the side of each slot I have provided a scale21 preferably marked in one-half inch intervals on each side, these halfinch intervals bein designated by one inch designations in sucfi a waythat when each block 14 is moved onehalf inch away from the handle, thedesignations will show that the points of the blocks 15 have been movedan inch away from each other.

The adjustment of the blocks 14 and their is brought about by looseningthe wing nuts 19 and sliding the blocks along to their properadjustments and then tightening them to secure the blocks in place.

In using my spacer to make, for instance, the usual row formationlengthwise and crosswise of the garden, I use a string or cord along oneside of the garden as a base line, the ground having first beenprepared. One of the blocks is placed at the corner and the other alongthe line of the cord. The support is now pressed with the foot while thehandle is held firmly in an upright position. Two holes will be made inthe earth. The handle is now moved with a slightly circular movement toloosen the earth from the blocks. The spacer may now be removed andmoved so that one block will reenter one hole in the ground, the otherblock being pressed into the ground to make a. third hole. This iscontinued across the end of the garden. The same is done at the side.After the completion of these two rows. one of the springs or cords maynow be shifted to the opposite side and the operation repeated. Havingtwo opposite sides completed, it is only necessary to shift the stringor cord one space at a time and go the length of the row with thespacer. The rows will then be found to extend lengthwise and crosswise.In this way, the placing of a complete set of strings or cords acrossthe garden, is obviated, thus saving much time.

In making circular rows, circles of the desired diameter may be markedwith a string or cord and nail and then placing the holes with spacer inthe usual way.

In using the spacer. the handle may be used to lift both blocks from theground and replace them at a new position or one may be kept partly inthe ground and the other block swung to a position where the new hole isto be made.

The grooves 15 leave ribs in the walls of the openings in the dirt.These ribs, when the plant is inserted in thehole. help break up thewall of the hole as the dirt is pressed around the newly inserted plant.

Various other methods of use will be apparent to those skilled in theart.

While I have described and illustrated, in detail, an embodiment of myinvention, I desire to have at understood that I do not limit myself tothe exact showing and that modifications and changes may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention and within the scope of theappended claims.

Having described my invention. what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent 1s 2-- 1*. A garden spacer comprising two imressionblocks, a support. means for adustably securing the blocks to thesupport a single handle extending from the support at a point betweenthe blocks, the axis of the handle being parallel to the axes of theblocks.

2. A garden spacer comprising two impression blocks, a support to whichthe blocks are adjustably secured. the blocks having slots; meansextending through the slots and securing the blocks to the support inany one of several adjusted positions, a single handle extending fromthe support at a point between the blocks.

3. A garden spacer comprising two impression blocks, a support to whichthe blocks are adjustably secured, the blocks having slots, metallicpoints at the lower ends of the blocks, stems extending from the points,through the blocks and slots and means at the upper ends to secure theblocks and points in r1gid relation to the support.

In testimony whereof I afllx my signature.

JOHN P. TALLON.

